Getting the Most out of the least. I'm a hybrid strongman/Bodyweight guy/odd lifter with a flavor for unconventionality and an interest in getting strong. Welcome.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Yes, I'm going to Review Bodytribe Stuff...

So, I've got my Bodytribe T-Shirt, my Bodytribe DVD's, my Bodytribe book, and I'm waiting for my Bodytribe G-string. Wait a second, is this place starting to control my mind? Maybe I've turned into some kind of BTer-roadie hybrid. Or, was this place that I, with a heavy heart, had to leave behind as I bounce around from state to state, even country to country, just that much of an awesome fit for my way of doing things?

You can make the call...

So, I've become a collector of Bodytribe paraphernalia, and for good reason. It's awesome! The first acquisition was, "Lift With Your Head," along with the T-shirt. The T-shirts awesome too. I swear that I'm at least three times more sexy when I wear it (You're still the only one, Melissa!). The take-out girl at Outback in Sacramento seemed to dig it...

The book might not have made me sexier to women that I can't/won't touch but it did something that we all need to do before we go to our prospective places of body worship: THINK! This book really made me think about what I'm doing, why I do it, and how I go about doing it. The first part alone could be it's own book, worth the asking price of $22. This kind of thought provocation shouldn't be missed. The second section deals with the lifts. Some are pretty standard. Others are more elderly, lesser-used, and pretty damn funky. All are well-explained. One thing that I have to give kudos to Chip on is the Bent Press. I've read a lot of descriptions on how to do a bent press. None of them described it with enough clarity for me to feel confident trying it on my own. His does, along with the enough of the right pictures to show how it's done.The Brutal Recess DVD's are pretty easy to sum up. It's done early on in the production: it's Bodytribe's concept that calls for adding both mobility and a sense of creative playfulness into training. Sure, it does that in the two-set DVD's but to leave it at that is like saying a Mercedes is simply a car. Or Earnest Hemingway is simply a writer. This set is a real rarity: a fitness DVD that's actually fun to watch! The level of training creativity is simply off-the charts! Much of the demonstrations of Brutal Recess are done outdoors in very cool locations with some even cooler music! A good way to describe some of what you'll see would be strength music videos! Don't take this as a way of saying that there isn't some good information here. This has some seriously-solid training information. If you're smart, you'll start doing some of this stuff. NOW! It doesn't take very much of this in your workout(by, not very much, I mean less than a week!) to realize that the Brutal Recess concept will make you a stronger, more physically-capable human being.

If you're reading this blog on a regular basis, then you probably agree with me that that there are a lot of things that are seriously wrong with our subculture. It's one thing to drone on and on about the problems without providing any good alternatives. That's the beauty of Bodytribe's stuff: They provide their customers with great alternatives to the modern gym culture.

Now, I realize that a significant portion of my readers are from Bodytribe and therefore, they live in California. If you're one of those people and you're complaining about how out-of-control your states' debt is and how expensive things like your water bill are, I have a simple explanation as to why it is that way:

SO I CAN BUY MORE STRENGTH TRAINING STUFF!

I made enough money working in California for two months that I was able to buy that Alpha-Strong sandbag I mentioned a few weeks back as well as two more Ironmaster Kettlebell handle and another 128 lbs of weights along with the pins to use them. I haven't been shy about confessing my love for their Kettlebells and the love affair continues. The KB handle starts out at 22.5 lbs. The first weight set brings it up to 57.5 lbs, the second 80 lbs and the final (special order) brings it up to 103 lbs. After playing around with other KB's, I really began to appreciate the the Ironmaster's adjustability even more. Most solid KB's graduate upwards in roughly 5-7 lbs increments, until you get to 53. Then, it abruptly jumps to 70 lbs. With a lot of exercises, it's a pretty big difference.

That's where the Ironmaster really shines. It's allows a far more gradual ascent. I can strict press two-53 lbs pretty easily. 70 lbs is a bit too much (although I can do it). 62 lbs is just right!

Any downsides that I've discovered? Well, kind of. The upside to these KB's is that they're adjustable. The downside is they're adjustable. Anything with moving parts requires some work. After traveling in back of a truck, they do get some dirt in the mechanism. Every once in a while I have to take an old toothbrush and some WD-40 and clean it out or the screw won't tighten properly. That's minor though.